10 fantasy and science fiction books to read in December 2023
By Daniel Roman
CRUCIBLE OF CHAOS by Sebastien De Castell (Court of Shadows: Prelude) — December 7
December is a month for intriguing companion novels, it seems. Author Sebastien de Castell is releasing a new prelude novel to his Greatcoats series: Crucible of Chaos. And just like the main Greatcoats books, this one sounds like a lot of fun. These fantasy mystery novels revolve around the Greatcoats, who are swashbuckling investigators.
Crucible of Chaos takes place before the first Greatcoat novel, Play of Shadows. It serves as both a standalone prequel novel as well as a prelude to the main series.
Estevar Borros, one of the legendary sword-fighting magistrates known as the Greatcoats and the king’s personal investigator of the supernatural, is no stranger to tales of ghosts and demons. When the fractious monks of the abbey rumoured to be the birthplace of the gods begin warring over claims of a new pantheon arising, the frantic abbot summons him to settle the dispute.
But Estevar has his own problems: a near-fatal sword wound from his last judicial duel, a sworn knight who claims he has proof the monks are consorting with demons, a diabolical inquisitor with no love for the Greatcoats, and a mysterious young woman claiming to be Estevar’s ally but who may well be his deadliest enemy.
Armed only with his famed investigative talents, his faltering skill with a blade and Imperious, his ornery mule, Estevar must root out the source of the madness lurking inside the once-sacred walls of Isola Sombra before its chaos spreads to the country he’s sworn to protect.
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ILLUSTRATED WORLD OF TOLKIEN: THE SECOND AGE by David Day — December 12
Next up we visit Middle-earth. Remember last year, when Amazon Prime Video released its The Lord of the Rings spinoff The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power? That series is set during the Second Age of Middle-earth, when Sauron was still perfecting the art of jewelry-making and the island nation of Númenor was at the height of its power.
Compared with the First or Third Ages, which feature heavily in The Silmarillion and The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings respectively, Tolkien wrote far less about the Second Age. If you’d like to learn a bit more about it, Tolkien scholar David Day is releasing a new illustrated guide to the time period in December: Illustrated World of Tolkien: The Second Age.
The Second Age has long been a “dark age” for readers of J. R. R. Tolkien, as none of his fiction provides an all-encompassing narrative of the events of that 3,500-year period of Middle-earth’s history. Only through the efforts of Tolkien’s son Christopher has the public been able to appreciate the full grandeur of the Second Age, which is revealed in Tolkien’s meticulous notes and unfinished works. The Second Age is made up of two great narrative channels: on the one hand the rise and cataclysmic downfall of the island kingdom of Númenor and its aftermath, and on the other the forging of the Rings of Power and the rise of the new dark lord, Sauron. Illustrated World of Tolkien: The Second Age includes more than 120 illustrations depicting the characters and events of this period—along with insightful commentary from renowned Tolkien scholar David Day—making it an essential addition to the library of every Lord of the Rings fan.
*This work is unofficial and is not authorized by the Tolkien Estate or HarperCollins Publishers.